Quadrilaterals, tiling and the eight directions · Usually met around P4
The eight compass points
Stand at the second place and look; reversed, it flips.
How to do it
Method
Stand at the second place and look; reversed, it flips
A north-east of B → B south-west of A
Another way
Check the north arrow
The arrow points right, so north is right
In full
The four main directions are north, east, south and west, and between them lie north-east, south-east, south-west and north-west: eight in all. Maps usually have north at the top, but check the north arrow first: wherever it points is north. “Where is A from B” means standing at B and looking at A. Seen the other way, the direction flips: if A is north-east of B, B is south-west of A. Neighbouring directions are half a right angle apart, so a right-angle turn to the right takes north to east. Or use a compass: the red end of its needle points north, and the other directions follow.
Worked examples
Have a go first, then open each one for the answer and the working.
Example 1
North is at the top of the map. What is to the north-east of 🐵?
- A. 🐱
- B. 🐵
- C. 🐶
- D. 🐸
Choose the right answer
Show the answer and working
Answer: C. 🐶
Looking north-east from 🐵, you see 🐶.
Example 2
North is at the top of the map. 🐻 is to the south-west of 🐰.
True or false?
Show the answer and working
Answer: False
From 🐰, 🐻 is to the west.
Example 3
🐶 is to the north-east of 🐵. In which direction is 🐵 from 🐶?
- A. north-east
- B. south-east
- C. south-west
- D. north-west
Choose the right answer
Show the answer and working
Answer: C. south-west
Seen the other way, the direction flips: south-west.
Practise it in the game →Quadrilaterals, tiling and the eight directions · Free to start, unlimited questions, no download